Malvertising hits The New York Times
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Media
It's every Web surfer's pet peeve: those annoying ads that pop up claiming your computer has a virus. They block you from working in the browser and are impossible to get rid of short of shutting down the program. They are the types of pop-ups associated with lower-quality Web sites, which is why it's so surprising that The New York Times (NYT) is warning readers that its site has been hijacked by such ads -- unauthorized, of course.Hackers broke into the newspaper's banner feed over the weekend, causing some readers of the Gray Lady's site to see ads telling them their systems were infected, according to online tech publication The Register.
This type of advertisement has become so prevalent that there's a term for it: malvertising. Sometimes a criminal method of installing software through Internet advertising, it's also the method used for convincing people they need to buy or download unneeded software. In The New York Times' case, the ads were trying to trick readers to install software on their computers, The Wall Street Journal says.
The newspaper became aware of the problem ads on Saturday evening, when it started, according to an email from spokeswoman Diane McNulty. She says the culprit approached the newspaper as a national advertiser and had provided apparently legitimate ads for a week. Then the ad was switched to the virus alert malvertisement over the weekend, according to the newspaper's account. The New York Times suspended third-party ads on the Website to address the problem, and has posted advice for readers on its personal technology blog.
The risk for The New York Times is that readers may associate the site with lower quality or become concerned about security when they access the newspaper's online version. And those aren't brand images with which the paper of record would want to be associated.
"It might give some people second thoughts" and cause some concern about security, notes Ed Atorino, an analyst at the Benchmark Company.
The New York Times may be a victim of its own popularity: Malware hackers are going after popular news stories to expose the greatest number of people, according to InformationWeek. That's something evidenced by one reader who wrote to The Wall Street Journal, noting that he saw the pop-up ad when he tried to read the newspaper's article on the violations of the Clean Water Act.
So what to do if such an malvertisement clogs up your computer? The New York Times is advising readers to shut down and restart their browsers. And, of course, try not to click on the ad.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-14-2009 @ 8:43PM
RMM said...
WHAT COULD POSSIABLY HURT THE NEW YORK TIMES, EXCEPT THE LEFT STOP READING THIS RAG, AND THEY ARE FORCED TO PRINT THE TRUTH INSTEAD OF FABRACATIONS. THEY GO HAND AND HAND WITH CNN, THE COMMUNIST NEWS NETWORK. FOX IS THE BEST!!!
Reply
9-14-2009 @ 9:37PM
mdc said...
Fox is the best?? At what? I find it very hard to believe that so, so many rednecks get their news from an organization that is owned by a foreign national (and I'm sure you all asked to see his birth certificate). Ah well, stupid is as stupid does.
Just a thought...
9-14-2009 @ 10:04PM
Ron said...
This proves that it is some neocon a-hole behind all this fraudulent advertising. Neocons have absolutely no morals!
9-15-2009 @ 1:51AM
GLW said...
I can only say, RMM, your comment reflects your intellect, "possiably" reflecting the care you take in vetting out "fabracations" in your life. Really? Fox News is a more reliable news source???? I know you wont get this, so why bother?
9-15-2009 @ 4:31AM
shanedieselblack said...
Malware and spam ads are is CAPITALISM at its finest, you dumb@$$!
9-14-2009 @ 9:29PM
galexz said...
Give me a break, who cares what happens to the times? They lost all credibility YEARS ago.
Reply
9-14-2009 @ 9:49PM
J said...
Are they still considered a newspaper? You have to print facts to be a newspaper.
Reply
9-15-2009 @ 7:10PM
Ron said...
It's getting to the point that the National Enquirer has more crediblity than the New York Times!!!
Reply
9-14-2009 @ 10:08PM
AsheDina said...
mdc said...Fox is the best?? At what? I find it very hard to believe that so, so many rednecks get their news from an organization that is owned by a foreign national (and I'm sure you all asked to see his birth certificate). Ah well, stupid is as stupid does.
------------------------------
The NY TIMES is in NY, I have not seen ONE "redneck" in the NY metro area.
As far as the NY SLimes:
They are the sh*ttiest paper worse than Peyton Place in writing.
Reply
9-14-2009 @ 10:52PM
King of Stone Mountain said...
People are what they are, regardless of the state or region. Perhaps the Northern equivalent of a "redneck" would be a racist, bigot, extremist...etc. Not that you needed clarification...
9-15-2009 @ 1:49AM
glw222 said...
Really, Ashe Dina,
Do you live in NYC to make that comment about rednecks there? I suspect not. But I do suspect you, in your ignorance, are quite capable of the ad hominem fallacy of arguement, with that NY Times comparison to "Peyton Place" as equal on the literacy scale? FYI, Peyton Place by Grace Metalious (1956) happened to have broken new ground at the time, about a frowsy New Hampshire housewife. All those "dirty" things we were all thinking were suddenly in print. It eventually spawned a smash film hit nominated for 9 academy awards, and no doubt contributed to a more open assessment of ourselves as we really live life. I personally think we are all more mentally healthy for that work.
Hmmmm.
9-15-2009 @ 5:33PM
Dan said...
"Rednecks" may be harder to spot in New York since they're camouflaged. Just listen and if it sounds like you or Fox channel, Bingo!
9-14-2009 @ 11:14PM
hotrodqd said...
who's looking out for who ??? those acorn videos out now ...some are dated 2005 .....ummm who sat on them ?
Reply
9-15-2009 @ 1:26AM
kim said...
sorry friend not the ones from last few months and today..........wait there is more coming out........ just wait a couple of days......god bless america!!!
9-14-2009 @ 11:28PM
Bad MotherFucker said...
You need to speak and write properly so your bull$h!t site can get some traffic....chump.
Reply
9-14-2009 @ 11:55PM
D said...
This is why hackers need to be publicaly executed. Preferably being burned to death while tied to a take. maybe then they'll get the message to knock this S#!^ off.
Reply
9-14-2009 @ 11:52PM
John said...
The New York Times is not a major news site, and hasn't been for quite a few years. It's state-run media and no more reliable than the National Enquirer.
Reply
9-15-2009 @ 12:38AM
Christie Lou Ivey said...
That wouldn't surprise me I had allowed my computer get so bad that my older sister had to call the Dell company and thier tech gave her step by step instructions on how to clean it out and reformat and 2 weeks ago as I was getting rit of old E-mails I ran in to that again but we set up the Kaspersky Anti-virous Software and I like the way it works.
Reply
9-15-2009 @ 1:53AM
upurs said...
good....it'snice when bigshots take a fall..they have been stuffing sh*t down our throats forever now....so..keep going after them...they deserve no less..!
Reply
9-15-2009 @ 4:32AM
shanedieselblack said...
Nobody forced you to read the NY Times, you dumb@$$! Now why don't you go shove off over to Faux News or some other rightwing Bircher site!